10 Reasons To Eat Cherry For Breakfast

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Cherries are the latest “super foods” on the block. However, even those who gush about these li’l red ones might rarely consider eating cherry for breakfast, due to the over popularity of traditional breakfast fruits. So here is a list of reasons that might make you include cherries in your next morning meal. Want to eat cherry for breakfast but not sure how to? Worry not for we have included an interesting set of recipe ideas too…

1. Low calorie treats

Cherries are low calorie small sized fruits. Due to their small size, they come with an automatic portion control and when eating as is, portion controlling is as easy as counting the cherries.

2. Packed with pigmented antioxidants

Cherries are highly pigmented fruits, i.e. have a rich color. This color comes from the high concentration of phyto-chemicals called as anthocyanins and carotenoids. Anthocyanin is a potent phenol that is involved in augmenting the free radical fighting potency of the body. Carotenoids on the other hand are a precursor of Vitamin A, which too is a potent antioxidant. These actions together help prevent free radical damage, pre-mature aging, and gene mutations of the cells.

3. Helps manage gout

Certain chemical compounds in tart cherries are known to reduce the uric acid levels in the body, which in turn helps stall the progression of gout and manage full-blown cases of the disease. These same chemicals are also known to reduce chronic backache.

4. Anti-Inï¬ammatory

The phenolic compounds in cherries help fight against many inï¬ammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis, asthma, and atherosclerosis. It is purported that these compounds have a similar action in the body as that of analgesics like ibuprofen and aspirin, i.e., they inhibit the action of cyclooxygenase – an enzyme involved in the inflammatory actions in the body.

5. Prevents migraine

Ever felt the need to bang your head to the wall early in the morning just to get rid of the migraine! Well do not reach to the OTC drugs any more, for the phenolic compounds found in tart cherries have shown promising results in managing migraine and migraine like symptoms in lab setting.

6. Hypotensive in nature

Cherries contain high levels of potassium and magnesium, two elements which are effective in combating the effects of sodium on the body. Moreover, these fruits are known to have mild diuretic effect too. The 2 actions in unison help prevent hypertension and balance the blood pressure levels within the normal range.

7. Improves cardiovascular health

Tart cherry consumption has been linked to a number of cardiovascular benefits. It has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, decreased risk for atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome — major risk factors for heart disease, and prevent inflammation of blood vessels.

8. Promotes athletic vigor

A Cherries rich breakfast is rich in both simple sugars and right amounts of fibers. This helps release sustained glucose in the body – an important consideration for a pre-event breakfast / snack. Moreover, they are loaded with phyto-nutrients and trace elements like Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Regular consumption of cherries has shown to help improve post stress recovery by almost 25%.

9. Potent weapon against common infections

Each cup of cherry provides rich quantities of Vitamin C, potassium, and Vitamin B complex. Apart from these nutrients, they are also a rich source of several phyto-nutrients. These compounds together ensure a healthy immune system, which in turn acts towards preventing the proliferation pathogenic organisms.

10. Boosts brain activity and improves concentration

Last but not the least; cherries are a rich source of natural simple sugars. These sugars provide the all too important glucose to the body and help stabilize the blood sugar levels. This helps improve brain activity, promotes better cognition, and improves concentration.

Tips to include cherries in breakfast

Eating cherries as is might be the best and easiest way to consume cherries during breakfast. However, many find eating cherries as is messy (due to the stone like pith). To help you with this task here are some scrumptious ways to include them in your 1st meal of the day

Fresh Cherry juice/sorbet: Juices and sorbets are the perfect breakfast accompaniments. For this, all you need to do is blend the fruits with some water or crushed ice and you are ready. Add a little mint garnish for that special touch.

Cherry tart: Although, not a traditional breakfast dish, small sized tarts filled with cherry concentrate can be a good change to the regular fair. You can pre-prepare the tart and just heat it up in the oven in the morning to avoid rush.

Cherry crumble: Make this even healthier by using whole-wheat flour and molasses. Again, this dish can be prepared the previous night and heated before consuming the next day.

Cherry and oatmeal porridge: Bored of the same old oatmeal preparations, add a new zing to the dish with some colorful cherry toppings. You can add slices of the fruit at the end of the preparation, or mix in some cherry puree for delightful splash of color in your morning meal.

Cherry muffin: Give a healthy twist to the regular breakfast muffin by adding a generous dose of cherries to the batter. It will not only add a rich color and taste to the muffin but up the nutrition quotient by several levels.

With all these benefits and delectable breakfast dish ideas, it is all but difficult to ignore these cherries for breakfast. Have them for healthiness sake.